ICAN Executive Director Melissa Parke Sends
Message of Support to the International People's Tribunal
Melissa Parke, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), has sent a video message of support for the International People's Tribunal on the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In her message, Parke draws attention to the often-overlooked history of Korean atomic bomb victims, many of whom were forcibly brought to Japan during the period of Japanese colonial rule. She expresses solidarity with Korean survivors and their descendants, who have spent decades seeking recognition, justice, and adequate support while dedicating themselves to peace and nuclear disarmament.
Parke also welcomes the establishment of the International People's Tribunal as an important initiative to bring greater public attention to the ongoing suffering of atomic bomb survivors and to reaffirm the illegality of the use of nuclear weapons under international law. She expresses her hope that the Tribunal will help galvanize global support for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
She concludes:
"Only by acknowledging past wrongs can we ensure that they are never repeated."
Video Message
Full Message
It is a seldom-acknowledged fact that tens of thousands of Koreans were among the quarter of a million people killed in the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki eight decades ago.
Their deaths, and the suffering of countless other Koreans living in these two Japanese cities at the time, have been largely omitted from the history books.
Many were there against their free will, working as forced labourers during the period of Japanese colonial rule over Korea.
For decades, Korean survivors of the nuclear bombings and their descendants have struggled for official recognition and redress, including proper medical care to treat a multitude of A-bomb-related illnesses.
They have also worked tirelessly to advance the cause of peace and nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, lest anyone else ever suffer as they have.
It was a great honour and privilege to meet several survivors during my visit to Korea last August, on the solemn occasion of the 80th anniversary of the attacks.
In an effort to draw greater public attention to the ongoing suffering of survivors, and to reinforce the illegality of the use of nuclear weapons under international law, peace groups in Korea have established an International People's Tribunal on the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I applaud this initiative and sincerely hope that it will succeed in galvanising global support for action to abolish nuclear weapons.
Only by acknowledging past wrongs can we ensure that they are never repeated.
ICAN Executive Director Melissa Parke Sends
Message of Support to the International People's Tribunal
Melissa Parke, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), has sent a video message of support for the International People's Tribunal on the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In her message, Parke draws attention to the often-overlooked history of Korean atomic bomb victims, many of whom were forcibly brought to Japan during the period of Japanese colonial rule. She expresses solidarity with Korean survivors and their descendants, who have spent decades seeking recognition, justice, and adequate support while dedicating themselves to peace and nuclear disarmament.
Parke also welcomes the establishment of the International People's Tribunal as an important initiative to bring greater public attention to the ongoing suffering of atomic bomb survivors and to reaffirm the illegality of the use of nuclear weapons under international law. She expresses her hope that the Tribunal will help galvanize global support for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
She concludes:
Video Message
Full Message
It is a seldom-acknowledged fact that tens of thousands of Koreans were among the quarter of a million people killed in the US nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki eight decades ago.
Their deaths, and the suffering of countless other Koreans living in these two Japanese cities at the time, have been largely omitted from the history books.
Many were there against their free will, working as forced labourers during the period of Japanese colonial rule over Korea.
For decades, Korean survivors of the nuclear bombings and their descendants have struggled for official recognition and redress, including proper medical care to treat a multitude of A-bomb-related illnesses.
They have also worked tirelessly to advance the cause of peace and nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, lest anyone else ever suffer as they have.
It was a great honour and privilege to meet several survivors during my visit to Korea last August, on the solemn occasion of the 80th anniversary of the attacks.
In an effort to draw greater public attention to the ongoing suffering of survivors, and to reinforce the illegality of the use of nuclear weapons under international law, peace groups in Korea have established an International People's Tribunal on the U.S. Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I applaud this initiative and sincerely hope that it will succeed in galvanising global support for action to abolish nuclear weapons.
Only by acknowledging past wrongs can we ensure that they are never repeated.